MIT's Christmas
by MegannLoouise
Summary: Some of the MIT detectives decide to spend Christmas together at Rachel's house. She cooks lunch for them and it all goes to plan, until they decide to play spin the bottle...


Rachel spotted Janet arriving at work, getting out of her car and making her way towards to police station.

"Hiya Pal!" Rachel ran up to her and friendly punched her upper arm lightly like she always did. Janet didn't respond.

"Jan?" Rachel questioned.

"Hmm? Sorry, I was miles away, what?" Janet asked.

"What's up, Jan?"

"Nothing," came Janet's usual response.

Rachel stood in Janet's way so that she couldn't get past her without telling her what was wrong.

"Janet Scott, tell me what is wrong!" Rachel demanded.

"Honestly, it's nothing," Janet replied.

"Hmph. Fine." Rachel was a bit upset that her best friend wouldn't tell her what was wrong. She decided to leave it though, she was used to Janet being a bit off with her ever since Ade left. Rachel figured that Janet would tell her in her own time.

"Listen, what are you doing for Christmas tomorrow?" Rachel asked.

"The same as always," Janet answered. "Except without Ade this year. Why?"

"I know it's a bit short notice, but why don't you and the kids come to mine tomorrow?"

"A bit short notice?!" Janet mocked. "It's bloody Christmas Eve!"

"Well you know I don't plan ahead very often, do I?" Rachel remarked.

"I've got a turkey at home that cost me fifty quid, I'm not going to let that go to waste."

"Cook it tonight and have turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day! Or better still, bring it to mine, I haven't got one yet," Rachel insisted.

"You're asking us over for Christmas but you haven't bought a turkey yet?" Janet laughed.

"No, because I can use yours!" Rachel replied.

"What about Dom? Or Alison?" Janet asked.

"I haven't spoken to Dom since he's been wanted for murder," Rachel answered. "And Alison won't want me going to her house, I'll ruin the day because apparently I'm miserable all the time."

"Well you can be a bit moody, like, all of the time," Janet joked.

"Oi you!" Rachel shouted and hit her friend's arm, laughing. "Besides, I hate Alison's kids, her Holly's a right brat."

"And Taisie and Elise aren't?" Janet scoffed.

"No, They're the sweetest kids in the world. Correction, they're the BEST kids in the world. I love them to bits and they're always welcome at my house, unlike Alison's kids. They're like daughters to me, if all kids were like those two, I'd have no problem with kids!" Rachel saw that Janet was still looking doubtful. "Please, Jan? It would be the best Christmas ever! Pleeeeeease? You wouldn't want me to be spending Christmas on my own, would you?" Rachel fluttered her eyelashes.

Janet laughed.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"You're fluttering your eyelashes!"

"So?"

"That's the face you pull when you look at Kevin. Are you asking me over for Christmas or asking me out on a date?" Janet asked, still laughing.

"Oh, hush up!" Rachel whispered. "So you'll come?"

"You sure are persuasive, Rachel Bailey. Of course I'll come!"

"Yay! And it's DC Rachel Bailey to you." Rachel pulled open the station door and walked inside.

"Oh, la-di-dah," Janet replied and followed her best friend inside.

xXxXx

"Janet!" Gill shouted from her office.

"Yes, Boss?" Janet asked appearing in the doorway.

"Have you finished that report yet?" she asked.

"Nearly."

"Could you give it to me as you've finished please?"

"Of course," Janet replied.

"Good. Now come in and shut the door."

Janet did as she was told, she knew better than to argue with Gill.

"Sit down."

Janet sat.

"Am I in trouble or something, Boss?" Janet asked.

"Of course not. I just can't be seen talking about personal stuff at work. We have to make it look like we're talking about the case."

"Oh, right, okay."

"How are things with you and Ade?" Gill asked, concerned about her friend. Janet had been quite reserved since the break up.

"The same as usual," she replied. "He tells the girls he's taking them out, doesn't turn up and leaves me to deal with the consequences. He doesn't even have the decency to ring to cancel or to answer Taisie's messages."

"Bastard," Gill muttered under her breath.

"I -" Janet started. "He -" She sighed.

"What? What is it?" Gill asked.

"Nothing. I don't want to talk about it at work. I'll tell you some other time."

"Alright, I understand," Gill replied.

Janet smile. "How are things with you? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in ages because of this case."

"I know, it's a tough one," Gill agreed. "I'm okay. Dave's being a twat but what's new there? Sammy wants to spend Christmas with Orla and her family so it looks like I'll be alone tomorrow."

"Aw, Gill, why didn't you say something sooner? You could have come to mine."

"No, it's fine. I've accepted that no one loves me anymore and I'm fine with it," Gill replied, looking out of the window so as not to catch Janet's eye.

"Oh for God's sake, will you stop being so melodramatic? Lots of people love you. I love you. Sammy loves you. Even Kevin likes you."

"Love how you said 'like' for Kevin instead of 'love'," Gill laughed.

"Yeah, well you're not exactly his favourite but he doesn't hate you." Janet winked at Gill.

"Haha, thanks. I'm still going to be alone tomorrow."

"No you won't," Janet replied.

"What, why not?" Gill asked.

"Because you're coming to Rachel's with me and the girls," Janet answered.

"Spending Christmas with Sherlock?" Gill asked. "I don't think so."

"It'll save you from being alone."

"Fine. As long as it's okay with Rachel."

"It'll be fine," Janet replied.

xXxXx

Janet found Rachel in the canteen nursing a mug of coffee.

"Hiya, Pal," she said as she sat down.

"Y'alright." Rachel greeted her. She offered Janet some of her coffee but she declined.

"I - He… The divorce papers came this morning," Janet told her.

Rachel's hand went to her mouth. "I'm sorry, Jan. I had no idea." Rachel reached out her hand and put it on top of Janet's.

"It's fine, we all knew it was coming" Janet replied. "That's why I was in a bit of a mood earlier, sorry."

"Don't apologise, it's fine."

"Thanks. I'd better get back to work. Oh, and Gill's coming tomorrow too." Janet got up and half ran out of the canteen before Rachel could say anything.

Rachel sat with her mouth open for a minute. Did Janet just say what she thought she said? Will she have to spend Christmas with Godzilla?

xXxXx

From the other side of the canteen, Kevin saw Janet get up and walk out of the door? Had something happened? Had Janet fallen out with Rachel so close to Christmas? Kevin didn't care. It was time to make his move.

He walked over, looked Rachel up and down and said "how you doing?" like Joey, a character from his favourite TV show.

"Alright Kev?" Rachel asked, missing the fact that Kevin was trying to flirt with her.

"What's up with you and Janet?" he asked.

"Nothing, why?"

"She walked out of her a little too fast, if you know what I mean."

"Oh yeah," Rachel replied. "She's just told me that she's invited Godzilla to spend Christmas with us."

"You're spending Christmas with Janet?" Kevin asked, feeling a little hurt that he hadn't been invited.

"Yeah, her and the girls are coming to mine and I'm cooking for them, and now Gill's coming too."

"Can I come?" Kevin asked.

Rachel looked shocked. "Erm, why?"

"Because my mum and dad have decided to go on holiday this year and in case you haven't gathered, I don't have a girlfriend."

"Aw, poor Kevvykins," Rachel mocked, ruffling Kevin's hair. "Of course you can."

"And me?" Mitch, who was sitting a few seats away from Kevin, asked. "I don't have anyone now that my divorce went through six months ago."

"Yeah, why not?"

Mitch thanked Rachel as she got up to stand on her chair.

"Listen up!" she shouted to the people in the canteen. "Is anyone else gonna be alone tomorrow? If you are, you're more than welcome to join me, Jan, the girls, Kev, Mitch and Gill at my house. You can sleep over with the others so you can drink too."

"Why would anyone want to eat your food, Bailey?" Andy asked. "They'd more than likely get food poisoning."

"Piss off, Roper," Rachel spat. She got down from her chair and flounced out of the canteen.

xXxXx

Rachel woke up at 6am the next morning to start preparing for the day ahead. Janet had dropped the turkey off the night before but Rachel wasn't going to put it in the oven until 9. She had to tackle the task of cleaning her flat first. She went into her living room and stared at the mess. She knew this would be a giant task.

Rachel began work straight away. She knew that the sooner she started, the sooner she'd finish and after about two hours her whole flat was sparkling. She reminded herself to tell her guests not to go into her ensuite, they'd be covered in rubbish she'd shoved in there if they even opened the door.

She then went into her kitchen and put the turkey in the oven. She figured that it would take at least four hours to cook.

Rachel sat down with a bottle of wine and opened a few cards. They were from people who sent her cards every year; her great-aunt Brenda, Alison and her husband and a hand-made one from Elise and Taisie. The last card she came to was addressed to her in writing she didn't recognise. She opened it, intrigued.

It read:

'To my baby, Rachel,

Hope you have a brilliant Christmas and a happy New Year.

All my love,  
Sharon x'

Rachel's face fell. She quickly got up and put the card through the shredder. She was going to have a fantastic day, she didn't need her mother ruining it for her.

She turned round and admired her tidying up. Not bad. She noticed the time and realised she needed a shower. She jumped in the shower and began getting ready.

xXxXx

The doorbell went at exactly 1pm. Rachel slung on her heels and made her way to the door.

"Merry Christmas Rach!" Taisie and Elise shouted.

"Hiya, kids. Merry Christmas!" Rachel pulled the girls into a hug and squeezed them tight.

"You look lovely, Rach."

"Thanks, Jan. So do you," Rachel replied.

She led Janet and the girls into the living room and handed Janet a glass of wine and Taisie and Elise a bottle of J2O each. They'd just sat down on the sofa when the doorbell went again.

Rachel opened the door to find Gill standing on the doorstep, her red dress hugging her delicate curves.

"Wow!" Rachel exclaimed. "You look… wow!"

"Thanks Sherlock," Gill replied. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"Wow, is that a compliment coming from Godzilla?" Rachel asked.

"Don't push it, Bailey," Gill replied, winking at Rachel.

"Come in, Gill." Rachel handed her a glass of wine and Gill walked in to be greeted by a massive hug from Taisie and Elise.

"Jeez, you're excited! Are you hyper?" she asked.

"No!" Taisie protested. "I haven't even had that much sugar."

"You liar!" Elise shouted. "She had about half a bag of sugar on her cereal!"

"Today's going to be fun then with her all hyper," Gill remarked sarcastically.

"Kevin's here, guys!" Rachel shouted from the doorway.

The door opened and Rachel appeared. She looked beautiful. Kevin stood in awe for a moment.

"Are you coming in or are you just gonna stay there all day?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, of course." Kevin stepped into her flat and went to kiss her on the cheek. Rachel turned round just at that moment and Kevin's lips were met by Rachel's lips. They stayed there for a few moments and Rachel rather enjoyed it. She pulled away and bit her lip.

"Hiya, Kev!" Janet shouted from the living room.

"Hi, Jan," he replied and left Rachel in the doorway.

Rachel had never felt like this before, not even with Nick. Kevin could be a complete idiot sometimes but that's why everyone loved him. That's why Rachel loved him.

Mitch was the last to arrive. He walked into the living room and spotted his boss in her sexy dress.

"Wow, Gill! You're looking hot!" he remarked.

"The boss doesn't look very boss-like, does she?" Kevin asked.

"You look fineee," Mitch told Gill.

"Thank you, Ian," Gill replied matter-of-factly.

xXxXx

"Lunch is ready everyone!" Rachel shouted, removing the turkey from the tray and plonking it in the middle of the table.

The group gathered round the table and tucked in. Mitch and Kevin were flicking peas at each other and when they ran out, they went onto sprouts. There was plenty of them, Rachel had cooked a whole bag even though only Janet liked them.

Once everyone had eaten rather a lot more than they should have, it was time to open presents. Rachel put them in neat little piles so it was easy to see what gift was for who. She had the most presents and they took it in turns to open one present each.

"Wow, Rach, it's lovely!" Janet exclaimed, opening the necklace that Rachel had bought her. "Thank you, it must have cost a bomb!"

"It's okay," Rachel replied. "I don't care how much it cost. You've been there for me and you deserve a lovely present."

"Aw, that's lovely." Janet had a tear in her eye.

Gill opened her present from Taisie and Elise next and gasped in surprise. They had made her a scrapbook of all the times they'd spent together at parties, making cakes and whenever Gill was around. It was beautifully present and it was obvious a lot of time and effort had gone into making it.

"Thank you," she whispered, slightly chocking on tear. "It's beautiful."

"You're welcome, Aunty Gill," Taisie replied.

Rachel's last present to be opened was the one from Gill. It was a tiny box so Rachel wasn't expecting much. She opened it to find a gold Pandora charm bracelet. The charms Gill had chosen to be put on there included a pair of tiny handcuffs, a miniature bottle of wine, a gold R and a gold P.

"What's the P for, Gill?" Rachel asked.

"I though you'd like something to remember your baby by. If you don't like it, I can have it taken off and you can just keep the other charms on there," Gill replied.

"No, it's lovely. How did you know I called her Poppy?"

"I told her, I hope you don't mind," Janet piped up.

"Of course I don't! This is lovely but I can't accept it."

"Why not?" Gill asked. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, it's great. I've seen how much these cost, Gill, they're not cheap. You shouldn't have spent all that money on me."

"I wanted to," Gill replied. "You've had a tough year and, let's face it, it's been shit. You need something that will remind you of what you've got when you're feeling down. You're an amazing copper, that's why I put the handcuffs on there. You've got your friends, me and Janet are just a glass of wine away, that's why I included the bottle of wine."

"Thank you." Rachel looked up at Gill and went to give her a hug. She smelled amazing and felt so warm. Rachel couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy or felt so secure.

xXxXx

The drinks were flowing and everyone was having a great time. Rachel was curled up to Kevin, his arm around her. Gill was sat on Mitch's lap, his hand a little too far up her thigh for comfort and Janet was sat with a huge glass of wine. Taisie had come down from her sugar hype and had crashed on Rachel's bed and Elise was somewhere phoning her boyfriend.

"I've got an idea. Let's play spin the bottle!" Rachel insisted, thinking it may give her an excuse to kiss Kevin again.

She got an empty wine bottle out of the recycling bin and handed it to Gill. She decided Gill could go first; it would look strange if Rachel spun it and it landed on Kevin straight away.

Gill spun the empty bottle and it pointed towards Mitch. She was already sitting on his lap so leaned in for the kiss. Their lips met and she felt surprisingly okay with it. She let Mitch slide his hand even further up her thigh.

"It's only supposed to be a quick kiss!" Rachel joked.

They tore away from each other and looked sorry.

Rachel spun the bottle and it landed on Kevin. She looked at the rest of the group but Gill and Mitch had already gone back to trying to eat each other's faces.

"Pucker up, Bailey!" Kevin teased.

Rachel leaned over to Kevin, revealing a lot of cleavage. Kevin could see right down her dress and liked what he saw. They kissed and sparks flew. Rachel hoped Kevin felt the same way.

She grabbed his hand and let him out of the room.

"Where are you two going?!" Janet asked.

"Bed," Rachel replied.

"Oh, that's fine. I'll just sit here while you two are in bed together and Gill and Mitch get it on on the sofa!" Janet said sarcastically.

"Soz mate," was Rachel's reply. "You might want to turn the TV up a bit." Her and Kevin disappeared very quickly.

She led him into the guest bedroom. They couldn't use her bed, Taisie was asleep in there. Rachel pushed Kevin onto the double bed and kissed him. She felt one hand go up the dress and the other one slipped into her bra. She took it off so as not to inconvenience him.

They pulled the covers over themselves, knowing that they were about to do something they'd both regret in the morning, but they didn't care. Life was boring if you didn't have a bit of fun. All Janet, Mitch and Gill could hear was Rachel giggling.


End file.
